How to get "-" when cell is vaccant

Chaturvedi, Santosh 430 Reputation points
2026-07-21T13:55:47.7433333+00:00

Hello --> There is one situation

When --> C="64.5", then the comment in GHIJ cell = Ok as per desried formula.

But when

C="-", then the comment in GHIJ cell should come ="-" ( NO COMMENTS REQ, Only "-" is required)

How to change the formula below. (see image)

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Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows
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Answer accepted by question author
Julie Huynh 3,515 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-07-21T14:08:08.4966667+00:00

Dear @Chaturvedi, Santosh,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that when cell C contains a numeric value such as 64.5, the formula correctly returns the desired comment in cells G, H, I, and J. However, when cell C contains "-", you would like the result in those cells to display only "-" instead of generating any comments. You are looking for guidance on how to modify your current formula to achieve this behavior.

From the formula shown in the screenshot: the issue is that ISBLANK() only detects truly empty cells. Since "-" is a text value rather than a blank cell, the formula continues to evaluate the comparison and returns the comment.

Please try updating the formula from =IF(ISBLANK(C1917),"-" to: =IF(OR(ISBLANK(C1917),C1917="-"),"-",

Kindly try and let me know if the results turn out to be like this:

  • C1917 = 64.65 > Comment is returned based on the comparison.
  • C1917 = 50 > Comment is returned based on the comparison.
  • C1917 = "-" > Returns "-".
  • C1917 is blank > Returns "-".

Also, could you please confirm whether the value "-" is entered manually into the cell, or returned by another formula?

If the value in column C is generated by a formula, it may actually be returning an empty string ("") instead of a true blank cell. In that case, the formula can be further adjusted to handle blank cells, empty strings (""), and "-" together.

If you can confirm how column C is populated, I'll be happy to help provide the most suitable support for your scenario.

I hope this points you in the right direction. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Thank you for your time and patience.


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  1. Chaturvedi, Santosh 430 Reputation points
    2026-07-21T14:57:41.9+00:00

    It is perfectly working--> Many thanks !!

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  2. Chaturvedi, Santosh 430 Reputation points
    2026-07-21T14:11:02.81+00:00

    Yes you are correct

    Use this formula it will save your time to modify--

    =IF(ISBLANK(C1917),"-",

    IF(C1917>=$E$1356,

    "Since Δσi ≥ ΔσOM → Δσi & Ni Values are Accepted",

    "Since Δσi< ΔσOM → Δσi & Ni Values are Omitted"))

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